Treasurer, Steve Merritt, worked as a Program Coordinator for the Foundation for Sustainable Development. Steve has his MBA and started several businesses of his own and has consulted for over 20 years with small businesses. An avid philanthropist, Steve volunteers much of his time to non-profits. He is especially interested in starting and supporting small businesses in Nicaragua and improving prospects for women. Steve resides in Michigan, loves to read, and thinks libraries are very special places.
Favorite Book: Trevor Noah, “Born a Crime”
Scott and his wife, Tessa Gunther, first visited Nicaragua in 2007 and they immediately fell in love with the country and its people. Since 2010 they have been spending about half of each year at their Nicaraguan home and half in Minnesota. They choose the winter months for Nicaragua.
Scott is a retired building contractor. He has five children and 8 grandchildren. He has worked with Global Volunteers in Ecuador and Costa Rica and has worked with Habitat for Humanity in both the US and Guatemala. In 1994, Scott developed the first reciprocal program for Habitat for Humanity, bringing 11 Guatemalans to the US to build houses and raise awareness. He understands that philanthropy is more about what you receive than what you give.
Scott became involved in CREA in 2011 as a way to thank the Nicaraguan people for sharing their beautiful country, and as a way to involve himself in the local area. He is proud to be part of an organization that is promoting education, primarily literature, as the best way for the next generation to maximize their potential.
Favorite Book: Joyce Cary, “The Horse’s Mouth” and Beryl Markham, “West with the Night”
Maren Boothby is CREA’s Board Secretary and is an SLP and CEO of Boothby Therapy Services, a regional leader in the provision of special education services to students with special needs. Maren and her husband Christopher discovered Nicaragua in 2006 and have had a home here since 2008. Maren uses her training in speech and language and her experience as an entrepreneur and CEO to position the CREA to serve more children and youth more effectively now and in the future. In her free time, Maren loves cooking, hosting, walking, weight-lifting, reading and working with her CREA colleagues.
Favorite books: Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and Michael E.
Gerber’s “The E-Myth Revisited”
